Quality of Life

to sleep because of injury or disease at times. Being prepared to deal with endoflife decisions has to be a consideration from the outset when we choose to take on the care of an animal.
A study published in 2016i identified delayed euthanasia as one of four key welfare issues faced by horses in the UK indicating just how difficult it can be to meet this final duty of care at the right time. As a welfare organisation Redwings often sees cases where a horse has enjoyed the best of care and comfort throughout its life but been allowed to suffer at the end by a hard but necessary decision not being made at the right time.
While it may be more straightforward to put a horse to sleep when they are affected by severe colic or serious injury we should be as ready to protect horses from the sustained discomfort of chronic conditions such as arthritis or longterm lameness. It is not length of life but quality of life that needs to be our priority when thinking about a horses care particularly for their later years or when managing any longterm issue.